Impossibilium ain’t just a song

Canadian scientists plus international cooperation FOR THE WIN.

Hmph. Listening to “The Future’s so Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” on a day like today on the way in…. wrongness, somehowerother.

Lovely time re chicken dinner at the ‘Villeans last night and then singing filk and other stuff. I HEART HEART HEART that 12 string of Tom’s and Peggy expressed surprise that I can actually play a 12 string now.  Didn’t mention that my left fumb now feels crabby.

Peter A at work has come back from another vacay with his lady wife, and once again they have brought me a tshirt, this time a flaming dragon from Tintagel.  This word will set off a long happy sigh in my parental units….

Mike got a phone interview.  He has passed the first gate… will he slay the dragon?

I KNOW TWO PEOPLE IN PERSON who have been omnominated for Hugos.  Ay!

In The Correction news…. Aughh.

Sad cats are sad

Both of the cats are wandering around the house crying because “Daddy’s not here” (Jeff’s visiting on the Island).  Margot was so upset that Daddy wasn’t here for her to wake up at 4:30 in the morning, she came into my room and started attempting to destroy things.  I said “Shoo!” and “Scat!” (as in feces) but all she did was stare at me with the stare that indicates every functioning neuron in her head is currently dedicated to keeping her eyes open, but that no other brain activity or anything one could call consciousness was otherwise employed.

As I mentioned in my comment, Yunte wrote me back, which was very decent of him.  I had mentioned to him that when pOp sent me the Charlie Chan movies on DVD I couldn’t bring myself to watch them as I’d drunk the Koolaid on them being racist garbage; as I said to him “I can now watch them with more nuance and less angst”.  Still not happy that Chan was played by white guys (except for the first two movies) but I can at least appreciate that they are entertaining movies now.  I think it’s great that my filial piety prevented me from throwing them out.

At some point today Katie and I and Keith and Mike and Rozo are going to brave the nipply weather of April and head to the beach.  Top down (da na na na na na!) in the sun (da na na na na na!)  I was thinking of taking a musical instrument, but given a choice between hauling sammitches down those effin’ stairs and something la di da like a mandolin, I’ll go for the eats.  Katie is NOT living with Daxus so my unconditional love faucet got turned back on.  Keith had his friend Chris over here last night.  They played Portal 2  and ate leftover spaghetti.  I was sorry to miss Chris as I quite like him; I’m thrilled that Keith has an intelligent, kind hearted friend.

I washed one of mOm’s quilts and it’s hanging on the line now.  I also did a compost run  The most immense pillbugs in Canada (latin name the ENTIRELY CHARMING Armadillidium vulgare) are currently noshing on my coffee grounds.  That would be my late Earth day news.

Heard from Paul.  Work has started on Lois and Bobby’s flooded buildings.  He called from the ‘Hat about an hour ago sounding like he wanted to do something family tomorrow.  When I mentioned the beach he groaned from pure jealousy.

Night before last, out drinking with the old Stat gang, and IHTA (It Had The Awesome).  Last night, Lost in Yonkers at the Langley Playhouse with Tom, Peggy, Rev Katie, Al, Joan, Ev, Gary, Elva AND the choir director Marnie and her daughter. As I mentioned on facebook half the church was in the audience.  Sue Sparlin was really good as the ferocious Cherman Grandmuzzer.

I look back on the beginning of February like somebody who had a bad dream, the effects of which still linger.  Did I really want to kill myself???? What’s up with that?  You know, I’m blaming it on February, because February in Canada sucks, and February in Vancouver, as I can say from personal experience, makes ya wanna die.  And then when the sun comes out you’re thinking…. oops.

I heart Tom and Peggy.  Right now I am really appreciating what lovely, talented, hospitable, intelligent and forward thinking people they are.  Also, they are newly minted grandparents, and I swear Peggy is leaving little curly trails of multi-colored stars when she talks these days.  Tom’s grouch factor is only barely moving the meter since the Bean arrived.

 

Katie came and got at least part of her stuff last night.

She spoke to neither Jeff nor myself, but I was on the phone with my mOm so I handed the phone over and once she was done talking she loaded up and left. I got my key back and gave her back her household key.

I am not going to go into details about the unpleasantness while she was here – some of which she’s unaware of, poor girl – but I will say that I told Jeff that I value my peaceful household with him.  I wish I could trust my own daughter.  I wish her happiness and good fortune; all of mine is unearned, perhaps hers will be too.

Sundry and various

Call centers in Indian jails, this should work out well.

One Life to Live and All My Children will be cancelled. And replaced by a celebrity cooking show.  Hey women and shift workers!  Stay home and get fat, it’s not like you do any good to our advertisers otherwise.

Why would narrowed neck circulation have anything to do with MS?  But apparently it does.

Get your hands off that peen, or, what eXACTly are you testing for?  BC cancels controversial test of young offenders which involves handling young men’s junk.

If you’re a cop and get involved with drugs… you can collect two paychecks!  Mind you you’re not reporting the second one, but o well.  Woot!

Teachers in BC get a say over class size and composition. This is very good news for BC kids and parents, not to mention the teachers.  If you’ve ever taught a kindergarten class which is 1/3 ESL and has two special needs kids and is 30 students (not making this up, I have a friend who was in this spot) you’ll know what I mean.  Just getting them to line up for the can is a challenge!

I don’t get it. Can somebody explain to me why this is funny?

I’m impressed!  Ba-dum kish!

Katie’s only been here two nights and already I am fidgetty.  9 pm last night she leaves, says she’ll be back late, doesn’t show, doesn’t text.  Is she in a ditch? Did she crash at Kashka’s? Is she where she probably is?  And why’n fuck do I care? (Apart from how, every time she doesn’t come home, I have to rehearse what I’ll say to the cops if they come to my door?)

I blearily and wearily looked out my back door this morning, and thought, “Spring and Vancouver… no longer BFFs?”  There’s like half an inch of hoarfrost on things.  I knew at the end of March we’d get more snow because I could smell it.  Sounds stupid, but it’s true.  Now I can’t smell the end of it.  Snow tires will remain on car until further notice.

The move at work is getting closer.  Sure would like to know when we’re getting training on the new phone system and how it interacts with the call center software, but I’ve been assured there will be training.

Our CEO is leaving, and our new CEO is younger and French.  Rumour has it he’s moving to Vancouver.  I’ve met him the once, and apart from observing that he has a George Hamilton grade tan and a sense of humour, I have no comment.

The cats have been extremely rangy.  Margot in particular has been up in Eddie’s grill.  Eddie came for a nice long hug last night.

I played Buzz for about half an hour last night.  He’s going to be my bed time snack.  He’s so quiet when unplugged, but he sounds great.  I was thinking of dragging the amp into my bedroom, and just said screw it and brought Buzz in.

I can hear Margot laboriously licking herself on the basement stairs.

 

 

Titanic scale GRRRRRRRRR

Ziva, o Ziva.  Her electrical system went snake when I touched the alarm fob when it started beeping (due to low battery) yesterday.  I removed the battery and didn’t think any more of it, but then all hell broke loose after I got it back from the shop – weird weird stuff!  I managed to get it to the shop, and the brake light and running lights were going on and off, and a horrific relay noise was coming from the dash, and the blue lights radiating from the alarm are triggering a migraine, and I’m scared out of my mind that she’s been possessed by Satan.

The brake light is an easy fix; the aftermarket alarm is getting yanked out today (I am morally opposed to car alarm systems and should have had it yanked from the outset) and Ziva continues to be a very, very temperamental hunk of purple ironmongery.  And somewhere, Loki is laughing.  Grr Grr Grr!

ack

Katie called up last night and knocked the one thing I had to do last night (call Chipper) out of my tiny pea brain.

Katie’s domestic sitch is very unpleasant.  We are being quietly supportive.  She came over last night.  Anybody following my facebook page will be putting it together.  I say some outrageous stuff on facebook… it’s one of the reasons my blog has gotten thinner actually….

Keith and Katie are thinking of moving in together.  I am having no public opinion on the subject, mostly because it’s none of my fucking business.

Ziva failed Aircare (I can hear my pOp smirking from here, and shaky fisty, buddy!) so she’s back in the shop today while I take the bus.

I am going to get up and tidy the kitchen, then throw on some clothes and head out the door.

A customer said something that made me very very very amused yesterday.  In brief, he called me on my private (unrecorded) line to roll his eyes over the customer service that somebody else had provided, and I provided him with a method of getting some service.  This isn’t about any of my worksiblings, because they are all godlike in their forbearance, intelligence and support skills.